During the 1997–98 English football season, Stockport County F.C. competed in the First Division.
| 1997–98 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Gary Megson |
| Stadium | Edgeley Park |
| First Division | 8th |
| FA Cup | Fourth round |
| League Cup | Second round |
Season summary
Stockport's return to the second flight after an absence of 60 years appeared to be in danger of being written off as a failure before a ball had been kicked, as manager Dave Jones, who had led County to promotion and the League Cup semi-final the previous season, left to join Southampton,[1] taking his assistant John Sainty, goalkeeper Paul Jones and defender Lee Todd with him to The Dell. Gary Megson was recruited from Blackpool as his replacement. Three points from the opening seven games left Stockport facing relegation, but four straight wins after that lifted Stockport up to eighth,[2] signalling the end of their relegation fears for the season. These fears were replaced with hopes of finally reaching the top flight, but ultimately County's poor away form saw them finish in eighth, nine points off the play-offs. Of course, this was still as success, for this was Stockport's highest-ever placing in England's footballing ladder while at the same time this season was Manchester City's worst season in their history.
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Sheffield United | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 69 | 54 | +15 | 74 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 7 | Birmingham City | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 60 | 35 | +25 | 74 | |
| 8 | Stockport County | 46 | 19 | 8 | 19 | 71 | 69 | +2 | 65 | |
| 9 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 57 | 53 | +4 | 65 | |
| 10 | West Bromwich Albion | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 50 | 56 | −6 | 61 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference
Results
Stockport County's scores comes first
Legend
| Win | Draw | Loss |
First Division
- Stockport County 3–1 Manchester City (Cook, Angell, Armstrong)
- Manchester City 4–1 Stockport County
FA Cup
League Cup
Squad
- Squad at end of season[3]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | DF |  SCO | Martin McIntosh |
| — | MF |  ENG | Chris Byrne |
| — | MF | ENG | Paul Cook |
| — | MF | ENG | Kevin Cooper |
| — | MF | ENG | Tony Dinning |
| — | MF |  WAL | Wayne Phillips |
| — | FW | ENG | Brett Angell |
| — | FW | ENG | Aaron Wilbraham |
| — | FW |  IRL | Stephen Grant |
Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | MF | IRL | Eddie McGoldrick (on loan from Manchester City) |
| — | FW | ENG | Alun Armstrong (to Middlesbrough) |
| — | FW |  AUS | Vasilios Kalogeracos (to Perth Glory) |